Union members in Washington to rally for Boeing 777X vote

Machinists union members in Washington state plan to rally Wednesday for a chance to vote on Boeing’s most recent offer, which could keep work on the 777X jet in the state, the Associated Press reports.

Union members are afraid Boeing will locate the new production facility, along with around 8,000 jobs, to another state, according to the report.

However, leaders of Boeing’s largest union said Dec. 12 they would not support the company’s latest proposal, and that the new contract offer is too much like an earlier one they already rejected. They now say Boeing has withdrawn the contract, while the company said union leaders rejected it.

Boeing officials couldn’t immediately be reached by the Business Journal for comment.

In November, union members rejected a contract proposal to build the 777X aircraft, prompting the company to seek proposals to take the work elsewhere. Boeing is considering bids from more than a dozen states and 54 sites for the work, the AP reported last week. States’ proposals were due Dec. 10, and Boeing has said it will decide early next year where to locate the plant.